The present invention relates to a frame for pictures and artwork, and more particularly, to a picture retaining system and method of making same.
It is often difficult to secure a picture within a framing unit, and/or remove a picture from a framing unit due to the complex arrangements required to hold the framing unit together and secure the picture in place. Traditional picture frames usually comprise two or more rectangular main pieces, such as a frame, a piece of glass or other transparent material and a back piece. The glass is usually contained within the frame, and a picture is placed on the glass and held in place by the back piece. The back piece may be slid in place or otherwise secured within the frame to prevent the picture from misalignment within, or falling out of, the framing unit.
Numerous mechanisms have been utilized to secure the back piece and/or picture in place within the frame. One common securing mechanism utilizes rotatable tabs attached to the frame. The tabs can be adjusted to clamp the back piece and picture within the frame, or they can be released and rotated out of the way to remove the picture. Some framing units require strips of thick paper, cardboard, curved pieces of metal, etc. to be placed behind the picture to wedge the back piece against a lip in the frame. These types of securing mechanisms are often awkward and unmanageable because of the numerous pieces involved, and ineffective because of the tendency of the pieces to slip out of position.
Additionally, some framing units that securely hold a picture in place disadvantageously have permanent or semi-permanent securing mechanisms. For example, some require staples, screws, or nails to secure the pieces of the frame unit together. In addition to providing a complex problem if removal of the picture is desired, these securing mechanisms may damage the frame material. Other types of framing units, such as those utilized for many prints, have a backing of stiff paper, cardboard, or thin wood attached permanently to the back of the frame. This type of backing is not designed to be removed and any attempt to do so may cause damage to the framing unit.
Thus, the traditional framing units present difficulty in securing a picture within and/or removing a picture from the framing unit. Therefore, there is a need for a picture framing unit that has a quick, simple and reliable mechanism for securing and removing a picture.
The aforementioned problems are resolved by a back member of a picture frame. The picture frame has interior walls that form an interior cavity. The back member includes a platform and a retainer mechanism. The platform includes retaining walls, and the platform and the retaining walls are adapted to fit within the interior cavity of the picture frame. The retainer mechanism is disposed within one of the retaining walls, and the retainer mechanism provides a force to releasably engage one of the retaining walls against one of the interior walls. The retainer mechanism provides a one-step, quick release engagement and disengagement of the back member and the picture frame. The retainer mechanism may include an elastic spring element or a gasket-like elastic material.
A system for framing a display piece is also disclosed. The system includes a frame, a back member engageable with the frame, and a retainer mechanism for maintaining engagement between the frame and the back member. The retainer mechanism allows one-step, quick-release engagement and disengagement of the back member from the frame. The retainer mechanism may also hold the display piece in a desired position within the system.